John Ross Of Delny

John Ross, aged 77, was working as a farm labourer, living in a bothy on 'Lone Vine Farm', Delny near Invergordon. He was the father of ten children. We have tried with mixed success to locate him and his family or possibly two families on Censuses.

Lonevine Farm is a couple of miles north west of Invergordon

Below near bottom, is I think John Ross, wife and two children, Rosskeen, Delny, in 1911 Census

Card images and 1931 recording are used courtesy of the James Madison Carpenter Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

This looks like John Ross, en famille in 1916 at Polnicol Cottages a mile or so from Lonevine Farm.

THREE GALLANT ROSS-SHIRE SOLDIERS: ONE MAKES THE SUPREME SACRIFICE
Newspaper report 22nd Sept 1916
Three sons of Mr and Mrs John Ross, Polnicol Cottages, Delny, Ross-shire, have served their country in its hour of peril, and one of them, the eldest, has made the supreme sacrifice. Sergt. Tom Ross, of the bombing section, Cameron Highlanders (“Lochiel’s”), was killed in action on 19th July. He joined the regiment at the beginning of the war, went to France in May, 1915, and was with the regiment until gassed at Loos on 25th September,1915. He rejoined a few weeks afterwards, and was home on furlough in January, 1916. He had not been long in France until he got his stripes one by one. He was a keen soldier, although he had no previous knowledge of the Army. He was buried on ground destined to be historic in the history of France and of the world’s war. Lieut. Arch. Hunter, acting company officer, writing to Sergt. Ross’s sister, says: “It is with the deepest regret that I have to inform you of your brother’s death. He made the supreme sacrifice, so noble and willingly, and will never be forgotten by us or by the country he loved so well. I know what little value words are in the face of your great loss, but perhaps it will comfort you to know of my own and the company’s sincere sympathy. In giving away his life so freely your brother has gained that which is [obliterated] and eternal.” Captain Charles Sheringham, commanding the company, and who was wounded on the same day, writing from Wolverhampton to Miss Ross, says: ” I feel I must write [obliterated] line of sympathy in your great loss. Your brother is a great loss to us. I know from experience what a splendid fellow he was. As a N.C.O. in the company he did sterling work, both in the trenches, in training, and in action. I had the utmost confidence in him, and promoted him full sergeant before going into action. It was with the deepest regret that I learnt of his death. May God, who has seen fit to take away his life , help you and his family to bravely bear his loss, and face the future, proud at last in the knowledge that he lived and died as a brave man and good soldier.”

Pte. Donald Ross, late 1st Seaforths, a younger son of Mr and Mrs Ross, served several years in the Army. During the great part of his time he was in India with his regiment, where he had seen some frontier fighting. He was a reservist and was called up at the beginning of the war. He went to France with the 2nd Seaforths, and was with them during the historic retreat from Mons and onward, until wounded severely in the head at Lille, being afterwards discharged as physically unfit for further service.
Piper John Ross, Lochiel’s Camerons, another son, had previously been in the 4th Seaforths, but, time-expired before the war, [obliterated].